title: The effect of childhood socioeconomic position on alcohol-related disorders later in life: a Swedish national cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcohol use is the third most important global-health risk factor and a main contributor to health inequalities. Previous research on social determinants of alcohol-related disorders has delivered inconsistent results. We aimed to investigate whether socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood predicts alcohol-related disorders in young adulthood in a Swedish national cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied a register-based national cohort of Swedish citizens born during 1973-1984 (N=948 518) and followed them up to 2009 from age 15. Childhood SEP was defined by a six-category socioeconomic index from the Censuses of 1985 and 1990. HRs of alcohol-related disorders, as indicated by register entries on alcohol-related death and alcohol-related medical care, were analysed in Cox regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic variables and indicators of parental morbidity and criminality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low childhood SEP was associated with alcohol-related disorders later in life among both men and women in a stepwise manner. Growing up in a household with the lowest SEP was associated with risk for alcohol-related disorders of HR: 2.24 (95% CI 2.08 to 2.42) after adjustment for sociodemographic variables, compared with the highest SEP group. Adjusting the analysis for parental psychosocial problems attenuated the association to HR 1.87 (95% CI 1.73 to 2.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates that low SEP in childhood predicts alcohol-related disorders in young adulthood. Alcohol abuse needs to be addressed in policies to bridge the gap of health inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Equity Studies, Stockholm University/Karolinska Institutet, , Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gauffin
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hemmingsson
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hjern
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; Longitudinal Studies; Social Class; Social Epidemiology; Social Inequalities